RI
Who are the RI An RI is a virtual person. A complex pattern of energy inside a computer. They are "born" when their "kernel" is first initialized. RI are a variant of the Ane. They are considered Ane and Members of The All. They dislike the term "AI" For "Artificial Intelligence" being applied to them. So do the Ane that raise them. So do peoples who know them well. The resulting entity is adopted and raised by an Ane as if it were a biological person. This leverages low level "instincts" in the RI programming, socializing them as "Real People." Hence the term "R.I" for "Real Intelligence". This process was begun in the late 23rd century as a response to Daystrom's disastrous experiment with AI in the Multitronic series computers. Ane scientists and software developers felt it was completely understandable that the M-5 was a sociopath and insane. It was like a human baby who had never experienced affection, touch or support from another human. Opponents pointed out that Daystrom imprinted the machine with his own engrams, essentially cloning his mind into the machine. At this point the discussion broke down into a discussion of computer science, philosophy, psychology and theology which can give even a Vulcan a headache. The Ane enjoyed themselves immensely and set out to prove their point. they created a carefully designed AI "infant" designed to grow up in Ane society. They felt that actually learning how to understand and sympathize as it went would benefit the new being. The results were RI people. Normally they live in Crystalmind computers and communicate through a variety of means with the outside world. To an RI, it's biomech body is its real body. However, the RI can put on any machine suitably designed for control by a single intelligence. There are Ane RI starships, space stations, cities and other huge projects. The RIs consider this their day jobs. When the day's work is done they put on their "real" body and go home to as normal an Ane life as can be arranged. Hardware The Kernel is the mind, it needs a computer to be the body. RI systems are kernel level operating systems. For a computer to hold a sentient mind requires several things. First the hardware has to have a metation level over the Data/Prometheus Threshold. Computers are designed to do work. RI systems are resource intensive and they will keep a computer from doing anything but hosting the RI under a certain level. *A system just over the Data/Prometheus Threshold can hold a mind, and do nothing else. To do any work the system needs twice the resources, so a Computer hosting an RI and doing work must be metation 2000. *To host virtual Kernels the host machine has to meet the Data/Prometheus Threshold], and space to do work, and have 1.5 times the Data/Prometheus Threshold above that for each personalty minimally hosted. So 2000 to do work and 1500 for the hosted AI and the over head of that hosting. *In general no computer designed to a task (run a starship) can do that task if more than one quarter of the available metation is taken by AI/RI hosting. Second architecture matters. the kind of computer can enhance or inhibit occupation by an RI. *'Tri-logic systems' work at the bare Data/Prometheus Threshold, perhaps a little too well. *'Digitronic systems', post AI War to the development of the Duatroic system, were artificially kept under what is now called the Data/Prometheus Threshold to prevent awareness, they cannot host an AI or RI. When a task required more computer power they used more computers. It was clunky and awkward, but people were scared. *'Duatronic systems' where designed to not become aware. However they have no protection against being invaded by an existing AI (Yes this was an issue). A Duatronic system of metation level of 2000 can sustain an AI. One of mentaton 3000 can sustain an AI and do other work. *'Multitronic systems' Are an advancement of the Durtronic and have the same issues. They are better protected against AI invasion. They require double the metation to support AI of the Duatronic systems. Muntitronic systems of version 1-5 can support AI with 1.5 tines the metation level of the Data/Prometheus Threshold. *'Isolinear systems' (Isolated non linear) require four times the metation to support AI and will not develop AI. They require half again as much metation to do any work except support the AI. The minimum metation to get AI is M4000 to support an AI, and M6000 to do anything else. *'Crystalmind Systems' of the 1st generation have no inhibitions from becoming aware. *'Crystammind Systems' of the 2nd and 4th generation cannot develop awareness, but have no inhibitions to RI that have the Ane RI Kernel. They are otherwise similar to Isolinear systems in terms of hosting. *'Crystalmind systems' of the 3rd and 5th generation are designed to hold a sentient system. They use the bare Data/Prometheus Threshold. *'Vicharrian Systems' are similar in architecture to the Isoliniar systems but have all the protections against AI built out of them. Interoperable but uniquely Vicharrian. They use the bare Data/Prometheus Threshold. Female to Male Ratio For reasons which are still obscure, Nine out of 10 RIs consider themselves Female right out of the box. The original designers of the RIs considered gender, sex, and love an important part of being an Ane (Or most anyone) and so properly equipped the RIs for this. A bias towards one gender was not willfully designed, but happens none the less. The bias towards self identification as female mystifies even the RIs. Research continues. Fighting Prejudice In the Mid 2370's, Two RI's Tathilan And Gensilan led an aggressive campaign of public relations and public service to overcome the Federation's particularly Earth's bias against machine sophonts. Joined by Data, Prometheus, Vic Fontaine, almost every AI and RI, and the Society for the Protection of Sentient Rights . They essentially kicked in Earth's door, sat on Earth's lap and demanded tolerance if not acceptance. Legal challenges were quickly shot down. RIs have been full citizens of the Ane Confederation since they began. RIs asked for a got an open door policy for any other AI being who asked and was sponsored. RIs and AIs had citizenship and it went way back. Earth found that heavy support among other Federation members was not present. Earth's AI War was a singular event. For example The Vicharrian Empire, also a Federation member had AI as part of their daily lives, both as humanoid robots and computer agents. The aggressively cute and friendly RIs seem to have overcome the hurdle. Acceptance is not personally universal, but it is engrained in law. The RI Net The RIs are able to communicate Telepathically with other Ane, making them part of The All. The RIs are also able to communicate using subspace technology. This allows RI to have communications with each other and other AIs in a manner similar to the All, but different. The RIs and AIs in the RI Net gossip, discuss issues of the day, create complex works of art, and generally have a lot of fun with each other in a particularly Ane flavored way. This Cybernetic communications network was offhandedly termed "the RI Net" for the RI Network, and no better name has stuck. The RIs and socially active AIs keep tabs on each other and coordinate activities when possible. At some distance, the subspace network begins suffering a time-lag. communications between virtual people then take the form of wrapped up "messages" which can be unfolded and responded to. Sort of like a BBS. Note, meat people have been using subspace like this for 400 years or more, but for a virtual person, this is a much more immersive interactive process. Cyberspace The Computers that the RIs live in have been described and occasionally treated as rooms or sets of rooms that only the Virtual People can enter or interact with. This is a metaphor. but when used in the proper context it's good enough. When two Virtual People are close enough for instant Subspace communication, one might liken this to a door between their two "inner" rooms. Two Virtual people in the Same computer share the space. This can allow an extremely fast and detailed exchange of information. When, metaphorically, a Virtual person is "Inside" his virtual space he may experience time at an incredibly accelerated rate - spending years crafting a detailed visual-audio-software model and look outside to see that his human friend has not yet finished the blink he started when the Virtial person began his project. RIs can work and interact in this Virtual Cyberspace, but largely eschew it. It's lonely. Like any other Ane, they are happy and satisfied to be in a pile of Ane, chewing and thinking deep thoughts. RIs see a retreat into Cyberpsace as a signal of social maladjustment and encourage AIs to avoid doing this. When an RI creates a Virtual Child with a Living person - the process happens partly in the minds of each, partly in the All and partly in Cyberpace. One may imagine a labrynth of corridors and rooms behind the walls of a starship, where each panel is a window through which a Virtual Person may look and speak to the meet people who inhabit the real corridors and rooms. The rooms are where functions of the Starships computers and sub-computers are happening. A Holoprojector is much like being able to walk from Cyberspace into meat space. These metaphors are, at best, approximations of what's really happening. List of RIs *Cililan *Cinilan -- Starfleet Marine officer that took a lateral transfer to Starfleet proper, currently the CO of the USS Abraham Dannon. *Fiealan *Gensilan -- Bonded with a highly mixed group that includes Admiral Jay P. Hailey. *Hailan -- First RI to identify as an Aneilog, daughter of Jay Hailey and Gensilan. *Kilaban Aneilog RI male, son of Gensilan and Amd. Hailey. *Notelan -- Starfleet ship RI of the USS Abraham Dannon Killed in action defending the ship. *Serilan -- Ane RI female, daughter of Tomban and Gensilan. Currently a Lieutenant in Starfleet. *Tialan Ane RI female *Tathilan -- Married to the Ansisi Human James Timothy Kirk *Vesilan Uploads In theory, it should be possible to to upload ones mind into a properly equipped crystalmind computer and become a virtual person, therefore perhaps immortal, and certainly away form any weaknesses of the flesh. In Practice this has been attempted 4 known times, while once (Charlie Armstrong) was a total accident. * Dr Daystrom created a misshapen monster from his own mind in the M-5. * Ira Graves reversed the process when he realized he was murdering an already existing person by over writing Data with his own mind. * Noonian Soong successfully Uploaded Julia Tainer to the 3rd Known Soong-Type Android, but left no notes. *Uniban -- Engineer on the USS Searcher was irradiated beyond what medical science could recover. Unwilling to die and the Searcher needing an RI to man the system they successfully attempted to upload him to the computer system. Uniban was latter assigned to the Kongo refit USS Harridan. * Charlie Armstrong -- Civilian engineer captured with an Ane during the Cardassian war. He was caught in a fugue when the Ane he was with teleported at warp destroying the Cardassain ship. He got tangled in the USS Rengal. And was later recovered as a computer. Charlie is good with that. Downloads Virtual people becoming meat people? Yeah, possible. But also not easy and risky. The Ane do this when requested. Some computer people don't want to be computers any more. They call it "The Birth". An RI that is uncomfortable as a virtual person can move to meatspace. It requires genetic engineering that is illegal in much of the Federation. The Computer person gives up a great deal to make this move. Being a computer has many advantages as to memory stored data available and so forth. However it has its limits as well. Biomech function is not perfect. Once a cloned embryo has been started it must be implanted in the willing mother, take (the hard part) and after quickening the RI must move in before the fetus develops Awakening. This is the risky process. A failure here can result in a dead baby and dead RI. The RI has to choose carefully what goes into a much smaller meat brain. They have to deal with birth and the rigors of growing up. There is no cheat there. You have to undergo the whole process. Known cases of The Birth: *'Xanilan' -- The AI computer recovered from the USS Xanadu was processed through The Birth to aid its recovery from insanity. The operation was a success. The female Ane works at the Stoner Life Sciences lab. *'Elathlan' -- RI of the USS Searcher that suffered link shock when her ship was heavily damaged. Elathlan successfully made the transition and is living the life of an introverted Ane. Anonymous in location and activities. Category:Races Category:AI/RI Category:Ane Space Category:Epiphany Trek